The present invention relates to rack mounting systems, and more particularly, to a rack mounting system for electronic equipment installation.
Many types of Information Technology (IT) rack-mounted equipment use a cantilevered style of mounting. In this conventional cantilevered style mount, an electronic component (e.g., router, server, switch, workstation, etc.) is supported by a left and a right mounting ear that are attached to a left and a right rack flange, such as on an Electronics Industry Alliance (EIA) IT equipment rack. In this common mounting configuration, the rear portion of the electronic component hangs freely without support of any kind. This is very different from a more traditional type of mounting where L-shaped brackets or slide rails extend from the front rack rails to the rear rack rails and provide a support shelf for the electronic component. The cantilever mount is often chosen over the L-bracket mount due to cheaper costs, and in many cases, the electronic component's weight does not justify or require the use of additional support in the IT rack.